Research
Adherence
Brief negotiation (motivational interviewing) is more effective than direct advice for increasing physical activity among patients who complete the intervention.
If you are a healthcare provider, use brief negotiation techniques (listening, exploring pros/cons) rather than telling patients to exercise. This approach yields better results for those who engage with the program.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
In an analysis limited to participants who completed the study, those in the BN group increased their activity by 24% more than the control group (P < 0.01).
Why this rating
Based on a subset of completers (n=177 BN, n=178 DA), which introduces potential selection bias as completers may be more motivated.
Source
Advising people to take more exercise is ineffective: a randomized controlled trial of physical activity promotion in primary care
Melvyn Hillsdon et al. · International Journal of Epidemiology · 2002
DOI 10.1093/ije/31.4.808
rct · n=1658Cited 190×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
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- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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